Corbyn is in

Written By: - Date published: 10:54 am, July 13th, 2016 - 139 comments
Categories: uk politics - Tags:

With a rush of sanity to the head, the UK Labour Party has ruled that Jeremy Corbyn is automatically on the leadership ballot, as a straightforward reading of the rules suggests.

Labour executive rules Jeremy Corbyn must be on leadership ballot

In a crunch meeting at Labour’s Westminster headquarters that began at 2pm on Tuesday and continued into the evening, NEC members, including Corbyn himself, voted 18-14 in a secret ballot that he was not subject to the rule that forces candidates to show they have the backing of 20% of the party’s MPs and MEPs.

However, in a separate decision taken after Corbyn had left the room, the NEC ruled that only those who have been members for more than six months will be allowed to vote – while new supporters will be given two days to sign up as registered supporters to vote in the race, but only if they are willing to pay £25 – far higher than the £3 fee many Corbyn-backers paid in the contest last year.

Labour’s membership has shot up to more than 500,000, according to party sources, as both Corbyn’s supporters and those who want to replace him recruit new supporters to their cause. But the introduction of the six-month cut-off point is likely to infuriate members who have joined in recent weeks with the hope of influencing the vote, and will not now be able to do so without paying an additional £25. …

Corbyn has majority support of the membership and is likley to win the contest. What will the Blairites do then?

https://twitter.com/JackGamble/status/752548258824806400

139 comments on “Corbyn is in ”

  1. James 1

    Excellent news

  2. Enough is Enough 2

    What will the Blairites do?

    Another vote of no confidence in their leader once Corbyn is re-elected by the membership.

  3. ianmac 3

    Great news for Jeremy.
    Maybe those awful disloyal PLP Mps will either suddenly get a hypocritical dose of loyalty OR
    Resign on principle OR
    Start a Blairlike Party (That would be popular!) OR
    Join the Conservative Party (Nearer their belief systems) OR
    Shift to Europe.

    • Wayne 3.1

      If Corbyn wins, which he will, does that lead to large numbers of these MP’s (the “disloyal”) being de-selected?

      The new candidate may be much less popular with the voting public than the current de-selected MP. It may be very difficult for the new candidate to simply characterize the sitting MP as a Blairite, since many of them are quite clearly not.

      So quite probably trouble ahead for Labour, when Corbyn wins the leadership contest. The MP’s who don’t have confidence in him now are unlikely to suddenly get it because he has won.

      • TC 3.1.1

        Not an issue for national with the autocracy that is the hollowmen and their wall street trained front man JK.

      • Kevin 3.1.2

        The sitting MP may not be a Blairite but they have shown gross disloyalty, many from day one, to their leader.

        If they do not like Jeremy Corbyn as leader, for whatever reason, then they should be serioulsy reconsidering their position. He was, and will be again, elected by the members and affiliates of the Labour Party. THEY make the decision not the PLP. The tail does not wag the dog.

        I think many of the disaffected need to face up to the reality that their natural home is probably the Tory’s, whether they admit it or not.

        • Peter 3.1.2.1

          I think you are wrong I believe the tail does wag the dog, and not just in the Labour party he who pays the piper calls the tune.

      • Stuart Munro 3.1.3

        Judging by the surging popularity of Corbyn, Corbyn certified ‘Blair-free’ candidates will probably increase majorities and will likely depose the vile far-right failed regime at the next election. Like NZ Labour’s leadership process they can get a lot of airplay – and if the airplay consists of ousting neo-liberals they can expect an enthusiastic public response. Corbyn only needs a sensible alliance with the SNP and he’ll be set to set about hosing out the Augean stables of far-right corruption.

      • Katipo 3.1.4

        If ever a country needed MMP. Much like the US, their current systems are only creating a huge numbers of disenfranchised voters.

        • Colonial Viper 3.1.4.1

          Nope, MMP makes the situation of careerist MPs much worse. You can never get rid of shite right wing MPs in an MMP system. Local party members and local electorate voters can vote such an MP out but they will get in again and again on the party list.

  4. weka 4

    I know that radical change can be scarey, and there are no guarantees, but the Blairites are probably doing the world a favour. Time for UKLP to sort its shit out once and for all, and let the Blairites and the Left wingers go their separate ways however that might unfold. We need that degree of honesty and transparency instead of trying to hide it all in the party. I’m saying ‘we’ because what’s happening in the UK is having far reaching consequences.

  5. dukeofurl 5

    Just replace Corbyn with Foot and look back to see how that turned out over time. A political party isnt like an extended family with the same participants that last generations, ( although some seem to harbour grudges over events that happened 30 years in NZ case) people move in and out of parties, increase or decrease their involvement as they have changes in their lives too.

    The US is an extreme example of really only having 2 doors to chose from for the big range of political views, while UK and Australia have one or two more doors, but not as much as NZ which would have 6-7 doors. Italy would be example with maybe 10-11 doors for exactly the right type of political party to suit your own views.
    eg Italy
    Democratic Party (PD) Social democracy
    The People of Freedom (PdL) Liberal conservatism
    Five Star Movement (M5S) Populism
    Civic Choice (SC) Liberalism
    Lega Nord (LN) Regionalism
    Left Ecology Freedom (SEL) Democratic socialism
    Civil Revolution (RC) Anti-corruption
    Brothers of Italy (FdI) National conservatism
    Union of the Centre (UdC) Christian democracy
    Act to Stop the Decline Economic Liberalism

    For countries with only a few ‘doors’ you would be sharing a party with others who can seem to have completely different views.

    • Sanctuary 5.1

      May won’t call an early election, so the next election is four years away. Corbyn will have reformed the party well before then.

      Like I have said before, this coup was triggered by the flimiest of excuses – Brexit – but the timing is all about the September Labour party conference. The PLP is desperate to prevent Corbyn being leader then. Why? Because Corbyn will use the conference to make changes that will decisively shift the balance of power away from the PLP to the membership. For example, seven positions on the NEC are up for election, pro Corbyn candidates will sweep the board giving them an iron grip on that body. Re selection will be brought back. Members will have have a greater say in policy. All of this represents a disaster to a PLP that is fundamentally neoliberal and managerialist.

  6. dukeofurl 6

    I see the UK labour NEC has changed its membership rules slightly so those that paid £3 will now have to pay an extra £25 to vote in leadership contest. Only applies to those that ‘joined’ in last 6 months.

  7. Bill 7

    A six month cut off date meaning that only people who were members in January get to vote is hardly democratic, but nothing compared to jacking up the supporters voting fee from £3 to £25. (Unemployment benefit sits at £57.90 for those under 25 and at £73.10 for those over 25)

    Tell me that doesn’t rule out low paid workers, students and the unemployed who would have to part with between 1/3 and a 1/2 of their weekly income to vote.

    In concert with an unending stream of bile and bullshit, the arsewipes of the PLP just might be able to pull this off. At which point “bye-bye Labour”.

    Regardless, England and Wales are in desperate need of electoral reform and, in England, some political party embodiment of civic nationalism.

    • Draco T Bastard 7.1

      Yep, that was pretty much what I was thinking. The RWNJs in UKLabour have just tried to price the poor out of being members of UKLabour.

      I’m thinking that a lot of those supporters may just cough up the £25 anyway. If they do it’ll be good for the UK because 1. Corbyn will be UKLabour leader, and 2. UKLabour will have one hell of a war chest for the next election.

      • Sanctuary 7.1.1

        The NEC just opened itself up to a lawsuit. Labour’s membership page is clear:

        https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CnMIXZOWEAAojNv.jpg:large

        Membership entitles you to vote for the leadership, no if’s or but’s or stand downs. The six month ruling will be challenged in court, and the NEC will lose.

        The PLP plotters sre so incompetent it is unbelievable. The way to get rid if Corbyn should have been easy to work out. At the moment, Corbyn has the backing of the unions, momentum and – crucially – the anti-Blairite social democratic centre, who dispair of the insulated, self righteous and right wing PLP. All that had to happen in the last few months was for a leading anti-Corbyn Labour MP to denounce Blair, apologise for Iraq, and repudiate business as usual managerialism and Corbyn would be toast now.

        The fact that the PLP front bench won’t even apologise en masse for Iraq shows how arrogant, right wing and out of touch the coup plotters are.

        • Draco T Bastard 7.1.1.1

          The PLP plotters sre so incompetent it is unbelievable.

          That does seem to be endemic to RWNJs – especially in their Machiavellian manoeuvrings.

          • Colonial Viper 7.1.1.1.1

            In their own minds however, the entitled PLP types (and their hanger on staffers) believe themselves to be way smarter, way more knowledgeable, and way more cunning than the rest of us.

            That’s why they can be so certain that they have it so right, while the rest of the naive, idealistic, hard left, ignorant membership, have it so wrong.

    • weka 7.2

      It’s an extraordinary thing to have done, and there’s no way that they can’t have known or intended teh consequences.

      I didn’t quite follow it exactly,

      However, in a separate decision taken after Corbyn had left the room, the NEC ruled that only those who have been members for more than six months will be allowed to vote – while new supporters will be given two days to sign up as registered supporters to vote in the race, but only if they are willing to pay £25 – far higher than the £3 fee many Corbyn-backers paid in the contest last year.

      Are ‘supporters’ the same as members? So basically anyone who has joined can vote, so long as if they joined in the last 6 months then they pay an additional £25.

      Anyone remember what the sign up rules were on the last NZLP leadership vote?

      • weka 7.2.1

        Looks like members and registered supporters are two different things, which begs the question of whether members can pay the extra as well or whether the recent ones are just wholly blocked from voting.

        http://www.labour.org.uk/w/labour-party-supporters

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labour_Party_(UK)_leadership_election,_2015

        • Bill 7.2.1.1

          They pay the extra, if they can afford it, and ‘buy’ a vote in spite of being denied a member’s right to vote.

          Wonder what the possibility is for Corbyn to run a refund as part of his campaign? Pay your £25 if you can rummage that much cash together and we’ll refund £22 afterwards on production of a receipt if we win.

          Might lessen the impact of the NEC decision on his natural support base.

          • Jenny 7.2.1.1.1

            “We are fighting a system that resists change.”
            Hone Harawira.

            £25 Poms?

            That’s a lot of dough. This could be interesting.

            Could the Blairites be actively, (openly, or secretly), seeking to recruit an influx of new conservative members to stack the vote?

            Is there any Party rule against being the member of two parties?

            How will it be checked?

            How many Conservatives, Liberal Dems and UKIP members would actually be prepared to pay £25 into the British Labour Party coffers to remove a socialist as the head of the Labour Party?

            Is it possible that the numbers could be big enough to stack the vote?

            Have the Blairites made this calculation?

            • te reo putake 7.2.1.1.1.1

              The Tories have been encouraging their supporters to join Labour because they want Corbyn to lead that party. They did that when he was first elected and they’re doing it now. They see Corbyn as a blessing.

              • the pigman

                Running the same line as James, above, and the same line you and the ABCs trotted out about Cunliffe’s leadership, IIRC. Change the record.

                • Colonial Viper

                  TRP is an Labour Establishment Loyalist. A hanger on and a wannabe. Therefore the MPs are the ones who must be backed at all costs, against the general membership.

                • North

                  Hear hear Pigman ! As a Left type person going all the way back to school days I’ve developed a very, very strong distaste for this – “I’m omnipresent and impeccable……disagree with me and you’re an idiot” – the pose taken by some in response to difference about how the Left should proceed.

                  No personal disrespect intended but I have to say I see that pose often expressed in the commentary of TRP and others on this site. It’s a complete turnoff particularly when it’s expressed in authoritarian, thuggish, dismissive terms.

            • the pigman 7.2.1.1.1.2

              Hey Jenny – nothing secret about their plans. The anti-Corbyn crew have been signing up people through: https://www.savinglabour.com/

              No doubt they’ll be pushing them to spring for full membership in the next 36 hours in an attempt to counteract and overwhelm the now-disenfranchised ~150k new 3 quid supporters.

              • Bill

                Kinnock was making that call. Point being pigman, that they obviously failed to get the numbers and so the NEC disenfranchised all members who joined in the past six months.

                And they also upped the supporters fee by about 800% so that an unemployed person, or someone on a low wage, or a student, would have to part with about a 1/2 or a 1/3rd of their weekly income to get a vote.

                How many of those who previously parted with £3 and backed Corbyn can spit for £25 you reckon?

                • RedLogix

                  At what point does it become obvious that the purpose of these right-wing blairites is to keep Labour OUT of power.

                  One of Corbyn’s options is to stand aside, let then run on the fixed condition that if Labour does not win the next election then every PLP member who voted against him resigns from politics altogether.

                  They’d never call his bluff.

                  • Colonial Viper

                    No, once you give up power they will gladly take it and use it to execute and bury you. Observe what happened to Cunliffe.

                • swordfish

                  “How many of those who previously parted with £3 and backed Corbyn can spit for £25 you reckon?”

                  Here’s YouGov’s Final Leadership poll of Labour Party members and supporter sign-ups (the Labour Selectorate) in August last year – shortly before Corbyn’s win.

                  YouGov (August 2015)
                  Final Round …………..Corbyn……………Cooper

                  Socio-Economic Group
                  ABC1 ……………………….59%………………….41%
                  C2DE ……………………….68%………………….32%

                  Selectorate
                  Members ………………….57%…………………43%
                  3 Pound Sign-Ups ……..66%…………………34%
                  TU Sign-Ups ………………76%…………………24%

                  Membership Length
                  Pre-Miliband ……………..48%…………………52%
                  After Miliband
                  became Leader …………59%…………………41%
                  Post-2015 GE …………….74%…………………26%

                  Lower Income, Sign-Ups and more Recent Members = Strongly Corbyn

                  And the Late June 2016 YouGov of Labour Party members highlights the massive contrast between Recent vs Longer-Standing members / and between Blairite/Brownite Former Members vs Current Supporters who haven’t joined.

                  Corbyn doing Well or Badly ?
                  ………………………………………WELL………..BADLY

                  Membership Length
                  After 2015 GE
                  (including many joining in
                  last 6 months) …………………65%……………32%
                  Before 2015 ……………………38%……………60%

                  Non Members
                  Members who have left
                  (mainly Blairites
                  and Brownites) …………………15%………….84%
                  Supporters who haven’t
                  yet joined …………………………55%………….42%

                  If Corbyn is replaced as Leader – how likely Labour wins next Election ?
                  ………………………………………Unlikely………..Likely

                  Membership Length
                  After 2015 GE
                  (including many in
                  last 6 months) …………………61%……………26%
                  Before 2015 ……………………40%…………….48%

                  Non Members
                  Members who have left
                  (mainly Blairites
                  and Brownites) …………………34%…………..56%
                  Supporters who haven’t
                  yet joined ………………………….59%…………..23%

                  Should Corbyn continue as Leader or Step Down now ?
                  ………………………………..CONTINUE………STEP DOWN

                  Membership Length
                  After 2015 GE
                  (including many in
                  last 6 months) …………………65%………………29%
                  Before 2015 …………………….38%………………58%

                  Non Members
                  Members who have left
                  (mainly Blairites
                  and Brownites) …………………13%………………85%
                  Supporters who haven’t
                  yet joined ………………………….61%……………..33%

                  Were the Shadow Cabinet members who resigned en masse to force Corbyn to stand down – Right or Wrong to do so ?
                  ……………………………………..WRONG…………RIGHT

                  Membership Length
                  After 2015 GE
                  (including many in
                  last 6 months) …………………75%………………22%
                  Before 2015 …………………….47%………………48%

                  Non Members
                  Members who have left
                  (mainly Blairites
                  and Brownites) …………………21%………………73%
                  Supporters who haven’t
                  yet joined ………………………….71%……………..26%

                  Would you vote for Corbyn in a new Leadership Election ?
                  ……………………………………….YES……………..NO

                  Membership Length
                  After 2015 GE
                  (including many in
                  last 6 months) …………………69%………………30%
                  Before 2015 …………………….36%………………61%

                  Non Members
                  Members who have left
                  (mainly Blairites
                  and Brownites) …………………16%………………85%
                  Supporters who haven’t
                  yet joined ………………………….63%……………..35%

                  Corbyn vs Eagle – Who would you vote for ?
                  ……………………………………CORBYN………..EAGLE

                  Membership Length
                  After 2015 GE
                  (including many in
                  last 6 months) …………………67%………………25%
                  Before 2015 …………………….36%………………53%

                  Non Members
                  Members who have left
                  (mainly Blairites
                  and Brownites) …………………15%………………56%
                  Supporters who haven’t
                  yet joined ………………………….62%……………..28%

                  A recent poll (which I’ll have to track down) suggests a whole swathe of those Blairite/Brownite Former Members are interested in re-joining to vote Corbyn out.

  8. Draco T Bastard 8

    Looking at the responses from the RWNJs they’re obviously terrified of Corbyn winning. They know that if he does then the right-wing will lose power and the people will become ascendant and then all the damage that they’ve done to society over the last few decades will be undone, that the rich will have to start paying taxes again rather than continuing as bludgers upon the rest of society.

  9. Ovid 9

    However, in a separate decision taken after Corbyn had left the room, the NEC ruled that only those who have been members for more than six months will be allowed to vote – while new supporters will be given two days to sign up as registered supporters to vote in the race, but only if they are willing to pay £25 – far higher than the £3 fee many Corbyn backers paid in the contest last year.

    That’s an interesting move. Labour UK has two kinds of membership – formal members of the party and registered informal supporters (who aren’t full members but are encouraged to join party). Informal supporters can still vote in the leadership election. A lot of Corbyn’s support came from those people who paid 3 pounds to be informal supporters.

    As it has been less than 12 months since the last leadership election, a lot of Corbyn’s base – the flood of people who registered as supporters – would still be entitled to vote, but some may have gone luke warm. However, increasing the fee to 25 pounds means that there probably won’t be a new influx of supporters hoping to vote for Corbyn over the next two days.

    • Bill 9.1

      As it has been less than 12 months since the last leadership election, a lot of Corbyn’s base – the flood of people who registered as supporters – would still be entitled to vote,..

      Not true. The £3 they paid gave them a vote in the previous contest. It gave them no other rights beyond that. All of those people, if they didn’t become members before January, will have to cough up £25 to have a say in this one.

      • Ovid 9.1.1

        I think it’s unfair to change the rules while a leadership contest is under way, but having an additional supporter model outside of party membership does strike me as a little odd.

        • Bill 9.1.1.1

          This is from the UK Labour Party website (emphasis added)

          Where could my membership take me?

          As a member, you’ll be a key part of the team. You’ll be eligible to vote in leadership elections, you can help shape party policy, you can attend local meetings and you can even stand as a candidate.

          That’s not ‘may be eligible to vote’ but an unequivocal ‘will be eligible’.

          I don’t know what the web site blurb is based on, but if it’s an interpretation of their rules or constitution, then the NEC just fucked up big time in trying to disenfranchise about 20% of the party’s members.

          • te reo putake 9.1.1.1.1

            Depends on what leadership they are referring to, Bill. Might just be local branch leadership. It’s the actual rules of the party that determine the matter, not the website. And the NEC had plenty of legal advice over the many hours the meeting went on.

            • Bill 9.1.1.1.1.1

              It’s a plural trp. Elections. No indication of exceptions. Given that a certain amount of proof-reading would have gone on to make sure the web page was reasonably reflective of the rules or constitution…

              Anyway. See below for how the contest’s probably going to be jigged and rigged.

              • There are multiple elections in my branch, Bill. It’s just a website and as you say, it is probably reasonably reflective of the rules, but it’s not likely to be even close to definitive.

                • Bill

                  Aw, c’mon! Are you seriously suggesting that a page meant to be viewed by new members was clumsily and only referencing branch level elections?

                  Anyway, no they won’t be definitive, and that’s why I looked up the Party Rules. (see below)

                  • No, that’s not what I was suggesting, Bill. I was suggesting that you were reading too much in to it.

                    • Bill

                      Ah. I see. Reading “You’ll be eligible to vote in leadership elections” as meaning ‘you’ll be eligible to vote in leadership elections’ was reading too much into a statement from an official outlet that read “You’ll be eligible to vote in leadership elections”

                      Sure. I get that.

                    • Colonial Viper

                      I love how the Labour establishment loyalist mindset. Having more party members and empowering them is dangerous, undesirable and counterproductive to the Party Hierarchy.

                    • te reo putake

                      The same group who have just voted to allow corbyn to stand and probably win are intent on disenfranchising potential voters. Yeah, right.

                      Still, it’s great that people who hate the left have the decency to offer labour the benefit of their legal advice.

                    • Bill

                      What makes you think he’ll win?

                      If he was going to win no matter what they did in terms of diminishing the number of eligible voters, then they wouldn’t have whittled away at the number of eligible voters.

                      As for ‘voting’ that he could be on the ballot, they probably didn’t have a leg to stand on with that one and didn’t have the numbers anyway.

                      Of course, in true authoritarian leftist fashion, they wait until the meeting is suitably stacked (so not the same group) and then throw new business on the table – the six month freeze and the £25.

                    • te reo putake

                      I reckon he’ll get a smaller percentage, Bill, but still make it. Of course he won’t be leader of the opposition then. His 30 to 50 MPs will be a smaller grouping than the ‘real labour party’ or whatever the others call themselves if a purge goes ahead. He wins, he loses. Ironic or what?

                    • Bill

                      No ‘irony or what’ – just a straight up ‘?’ Your comment makes no sense.

                      If he wins, he’ll be the leader of the official opposition. The number of ‘loyal’ MPs will probably increase given that some of them calling for him to step down have just swept along by the bullshit and momentum of those trying to engineer a coup.

                      And then it’s down to members at the branch or constituency level to decide who they want to vote for to act as their representatives at the parliamentary level.

                    • Colonial Viper

                      Fuck the disloyal Blairite MPs. If Corbyn fights thorough to the end, he’ll add another 250,000 new members to Labour and he can have his pick of outstanding left wing candidates.

                    • te reo putake

                      Think it through, Bill. Nicola Sturgeon could end up leader of the opposition.

                    • Colonial Viper

                      The Blairite MPs are determined to protect Labour as their own personal political vehicle, one that they have hijacked from the members.

                      Until they are rooted out of the organisation, Labour will remain Tory Labour and not be a credible Opposition again.

                    • Bill

                      Seeing as how she’s First Minister, why the fuck would Nicola Sturgeon aspire to be leader of the Opposition…in a parliament she didn’t stand for and isn’t a part of?

                      Apologies if I’ve missed something earth shattering in your comment. I just came across it and haven’t actually ‘thought it through’ on the grounds that there’s nothing there.

                      If it contains something of substance that I missed, get back to me aye?

                    • My mistake, it wouldn’t be Sturgeon, it would be whoever is SNP leader in Westminster. They have 54 seats. Corbyn has some loyalists and no doubt if he wins again, that number will be boosted by others who would be prepared to commit to his leadership. But if the Corbynistas insist on a purge of the rest (some of whom are ‘Blairites’, but most of whom are ‘soft left’), there could be 3 Labour factions, each with their own leader, plus a scattering of MP’s who could choose to stay as independents.

                      My point is that the SNP could be the official opposition by virtue of being the biggest party.

                    • Bill

                      Again, the use of this word “purge”.

                      Labour Party members choosing who will stand for their constituency, is not in any way, shape or form a “purge”.

                    • A mass deselection, as is being called for by Momentum over there and by some here, is a purge, Bill.

                    • Bill

                      No it isn’t – not if the ordinary members are the ones controlling the process through elections at the constituency level. That’s called democracy (insofar as voting for representatives can be called democratic).

                      If some grouping within the PLP got rid of some other perceived group within the PLP directly (ie – with no recourse to any of the democratic mechanisms of the party) then that would be a purge.

                    • Hey, I’m only reminding you what the word literally means. You can put your own individual interpretation on it if you want, but you’re on your own. And, as I noted, there’s plenty of people here, and in the UK, quite literally calling for a purge. Use the search bar on TS or google it if you don’t believe me.

                  • Bill

                    Using democratic mechanisms to ensure that representatives are more representative isn’t easily reconciled with notions of ideologically driven political purges driven from the top down.

                    Using the word in relation to the possible outcome of democratic processes is essentially a smear suggesting that there’s something unsavoury or even potentially violent and unreasonable about people exercising whatever degree of democracy they have at their disposal.

                    Now sure, there are some who will happily attack the concept of democracy, with an aim to discredit it completely, at any and every opportunity that arises.

                    I’m not one of those people, and if it was the case that I was the only one pointing to the stench that results from associating the word “purge” with a degree of democratic accountability, then fine, I’d be that lone voice. The fact seems to be that the term is being used mostly (but not exclusively) by mischievous right wingers and those who’d favour the re-ascendancy of the Blairites.

          • Bill 9.1.1.1.2

            This makes the NEC ruling kind of interesting (from the Rule Book)

            Chapter 4
            Elections of national officers of the Party and national committees

            i. The General Secretary shall be the Returning Officer.

            ii. The Returning Officer shall appoint a Labour Party legal advisor to act as Deputy Returning Officer who shall advise on any matters of dispute in respect of eligibility or procedure.

            iii. An Independent Scrutineer will be appointed by the Returning Officer to oversee and verify the ballot, and the results shall be declared at a session of Party Conference.

            iv. The timetable for the election, including any freeze date, and the procedures for agreeing the list of those eligible to vote must be approved by the Independent Scrutineer.

            So the ‘freeze date’ set by the NEC has no standing unless it’s agreed to by the Independent Scrutineer…whoever that may be.

            edit Iain McNicol is the current Gen Sec…who appoints the independent scrutineer. Don’t know anything about Iain McNicol, but it would appear that he holds all the cards.

            • dukeofurl 9.1.1.1.2.1

              Ah the rule book !

              And who polices the rule book?

              “Organisation Committee [of the NEC]

              The Organisation Committee is responsible for party rules and constitution; ensuring parties are operating effectively throughout the country to the highest standards and has overall responsibility for membership, investigations, selections, Conferences, electoral law, boundaries strategy and internal elections.
              http://www.labour.org.uk/pages/nec-committees

              This seems to indicate what they have done

              “Registered Supporters

              Registered Supporters will also have an individual vote at future Labour Party leadership elections and, if they are on the electoral register in London, the Primary for Labour’s candidate for London Mayor. They will be required to pay a small fee to participate in such elections.
              http://www.labour.org.uk/w/labour-party-supporters

              No seems to have thought that the ‘small fee’ could become ‘not so small’

              • Bill

                An object – or should that be abject – lesson on how an organisation can simultaneously eat itself while spitting its entails around the show.

            • Elfrida 9.1.1.1.2.2

              Thank you for this which helps enormously to clarify this issue.

              It seems obvious that the freeze date and eligibility of ‘new’ members has yet to be agreed by the Independent Scrutineer, aided by the legal advice of the Deputy Returning Officer. Further, that the very procedures under which these decisions are made should be open to scrutiny, and any disputes or challenges scrupulously addressed.

              The freeze date, together with restrictions to voting eligibility have been presented as a fait accompli. The two-day window in which disenfranchised voters are invited to purchase the right to vote begins on Monday the 18th of July. If this timetable is adhered to, it follows that clauses ii, ii and iv cannot possibly be acted upon in a timely way, as the opportunity for intervention will have passed.

              If this disregard of the NEC for its own rules is allowed to continue, the entire basis of the Labour Leadership Election will be undermined. Will the Election Reform Services be providing scrutiny? If so, a qualifying statement must be sought before it is too late to influence this flagrant and undemocratic disregard for the rights of Labour Party members, affiliate members and supporters.
              http://www.electoralreform.co.uk

  10. Tautoko Mangō Mata 10

    This sums it up for me:

    Suzanne Bosworth
    ‏@MediaWeasel
    Here’s what’s extraordinary: #LabourNEC thinking that their disgusting behaviour will make them electable if Corbyn isn’t re-elected.

    • dukeofurl 10.1

      You are confusing two different things- labour members and the electorate voters.

      As we have seen electorate voters had backed labour under Blair/Brown 3x !

      The last one in 2005 they had 55% of the seats with 35% of the vote, so dont need the small far left group about Corbyn, there being any number of parties with socialist or workers or even ‘respect’ in their name to vote for come election time.
      Socialist Labour Arthur Scargill 20k votes
      Scottish Socialist Colin Fox 43k
      Respect Linda Smith 68k
      Socialist Alternative Peter Taaffe 9k
      Socialist Unity Party – 581 votes.

      • Colonial Viper 10.1.1

        As we have seen electorate voters had backed labour under Blair/Brown 3x !

        Blairite Labour were a bunch of useless pro-war corporate tossers who have contributed to the long term extinction of UK Labour by courting the comfortable middle class and discarding the working class.

        The effects of which is being played out now.

  11. swordfish 11

    “But the introduction of the six-month cut-off point is likely to infuriate members who have joined in recent weeks with the hope of influencing the vote, and will not now be able to do so without paying an additional £25.”

    Yep, they’ve just effectively “de-selected” 130,000 new members from having a say. Over the last 2 weeks alone, the Party has accepted 4.5 million Pounds in members fees on the promise they could vote.

    • Draco T Bastard 11.1

      Over the last 2 weeks alone, the Party has accepted 4.5 million Pounds in members fees on the promise they could vote.

      Sounds remarkably like false advertising and could thus be challenged in court. Of course, the court case would be long after the vote.

      • Sanctuary 11.1.1

        The Corbynistas will simply need an injunction, not a full court hearing.

        But really, in a democracy this manoeuvering to disenfranchise your own members is beyond disgraceful.

        The PLP is polarising the party with sort of self serving, divisive and and anti democratic behaviour.

    • Colonial Viper 11.2

      Yep, they’ve just effectively “de-selected” 130,000 new members from having a say. Over the last 2 weeks alone, the Party has accepted 4.5 million Pounds in members fees on the promise they could vote.

      Time for Corbyn supporters to launch massive High Court action against the UK Labour Party.

      • weka 11.2.1

        Yep.

        I think it’s blatantly obvious now that the Blairites are willing to burn the whole house down if they can’t keep it for themselves.

        • Colonial Viper 11.2.1.1

          It’s a classic attitude of entitlement from the Labour Party hierarchy. Ordinary members are there to give the party money and to deliver flyers for MPs. They are not supposed to interfere with the better judgement of the hierarchy.

      • Stuart Munro 11.2.2

        A street march might do the job as well. Confronting a disenfranchised mob is, as they say, ‘a great learning experience’.

  12. swordfish 12

    ITV Political Editor Robert Peston:

    “Even by Labour’s recent history of giving shambles a good name, today’s meeting of the ruling NEC takes the biscuit.

    Because at the end of the meeting, after a couple of pro-Corbyn members had left, and Corbyn himself had gone, a vote was taken on a motion not on the agenda, to exclude from the leadership vote anyone who joined the party in the past six months. So the 130,000 who signed up since Brexit, most of whom are thought to be Corbyn supporters, will be unable to vote.

    Now whatever you think of Corbyn, this looks and smells like gerrymandering by his opponents.

    Corbyn will definitely attempt to get the vote over-turned. And he may resort to the law, since Labour’s website made clear that membership bought a vote.”

    • Colonial Viper 12.1

      That’s the disgusting and undemocratic UK Labour Party for you.

      The entire party needs to be put into the woodchipper and the party re-started from scratch.

  13. weka 13

    This clarifies the member vs registered supporter thing (kind of),

    But Labour members who have signed up after Tuesday, January 12 will not eligible to vote.

    That means the claimed 100,000 new members the party claims they have attracted since the referendum will be excluded from the process.

    But they may still be able to take part in the vote if they’re willing to stump up a £25 ‘registered supporter’ fee.

    Applications to be a registered supporter will only be open for two days – and it’s currently unclear whether those who became members since January 12 will also be allowed to sign up as registered supporters.

    Details of how to sign up as a registered supporter will be announced on Thursday.

    http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/new-labour-party-members-barred-8408288

    • Colonial Viper 13.1

      If you have money, you can vote – beliefs of the Blairite Labour Party.

      BTW this undemocratic shite will have killed Scottish Labour off for good now. And without Scottish Labour UK Labour is now an historical footnote. They just haven’t stopped breathing and moving yet.

      • Pasupial 13.1.1

        £25 is NZ$45.75 at the current exchange rate (1.83). That is a lot of money to come up with in two days for many Labour supporters.

        • Colonial Viper 13.1.1.1

          Yep. But the ‘right’ kind of Labour supporters will have no trouble.

          • swordfish 13.1.1.1.1

            Basically, the NEC (minus the Corbyn supporters who had already left the meeting, unaware of what was about to unfold) has disenfranchised well over 100,000 Party members (more than 60% of whom are reckoned to be Corbyn supporters) while at the same time allowing anyone who can find 25 quid in the next 48 hours a vote.

            I’ll have to look for it, but a few days ago I read of polling that suggested a whole swathe of Blairite and Brownite former Party members were prepared to re-join to vote Corbyn out. It suggested they would probably slightly outnumber Corbynistas among the Supporter Sign-Ups. With this new rule, though, that should turn into more than just a slight advantage.

            • Colonial Viper 13.1.1.1.1.1

              Bit of a naive novice mistake to leave the meeting before it was adjourned.

              • dukeofurl

                Have you just realised that about Corbyn ?

                • Colonial Viper

                  Indeed. Trusting in your party’s own MPs and executive is clearly a dumb move in UK Labour.

                  To paraphrase. The guys who sit across there are our opposition. The people who sit beside us are our enemies.

    • Bill 13.2

      Think about it.

      Putting the onerous £25 aside for a moment, what’s being suggested is that members may attract a penalty with regards voting that’s over and above any penalty landed on non-members.

      Members denied a vote can pay £25 to vote as supporters.

      The Blairites know that ‎£25 is a huge financial hurdle. They’ve probably ‘focus grouped’ that cost, done the numbers and calculated that they come out ahead.

      • Colonial Viper 13.2.1

        I don’t understand why with this kind of internal attitude, UK Labour struggles in Scotland.

      • weka 13.2.2

        “Members denied a vote can pay to vote as supporters.”

        Are you sure? Because the article above was saying it wasn’t clear if they could become registered supporters or whether members under 6 months simply won’t be able to vote.

        Those that haven’t joined yet, can pay the £25, thus ensuring that the only new people can vote and of those only the ones with the dosh.

        The 6 months thing might be standard though. What was the deal with NZLP?

        • Bill 13.2.2.1

          Six months isn’t standard. The NEC, or more precisely the General Secretary, acting through the scrutineer (who I don’t think has been appointed yet) can set a ‘freeze’ on eligibility.

          The relevant clauses from the UKLP ‘Rule Book’ and my take on it is in this comment…

          http://thestandard.org.nz/corbyn-is-in/#comment-1202937

          But regardless, when I suggested it be thought through, I meant with regards the logic, or even how to manage a scenario where a member is disqualified from voting, yet an avenue is afforded all non-members.

          Any member debarred from voting would simply rescind their membership and then pay up to get a vote, right? And besides that being almost impossible to police, the financial barrier is likely being considered enough in terms of shoving obstacles in the path of newer members who some would prefer didn’t cast a vote.

          • weka 13.2.2.1.1

            I’m guessing the two day thing would prevent people rescinding their membership and signing up anew as a registered supporter, and that that is intentional too. So really it’s only the people who haven’t signed anything yet and who have the cash that will be advantaged.

            • Bill 13.2.2.1.1.1

              This is rabbit hole stuff.

              There’s no real advantage to be had in trying to triple whammy newer members. The £25 supporters fee does all the work that needs doing. If newer members want to pay £25 – and most won’t be able to afford that – then fine. And the two day window would make it well nigh impossible to check whether a £25 ‘supporter’ was a fully paid up member if the idea was to exclude newer members no matter what.

              If the supporters fee had been left at around the £3 mark, then it would have necessary to device some scheme to block newer members from just voting as supporters. Raising that fee to £25, effectively does that.

    • swordfish 14.1

      Not unexpected.

      The Soft Left faction’s Smith will run to the Left of Eagle (from the Brownite/Centrist faction) and to the Right of Corbyn.

      • Bill 14.1.1

        I’d like to think he’d send Eagle into third place on the first round of voting and then step down. Allowed to imagine decency, yes?

  14. emergency mike 15

    Supporters will be given two days to pay the £25? What a generous window of opportunity.

    130,000 new members join in order to have their say as advertised, then get told to fuck off.

    Makes it pretty clear who you are dealing with.

  15. swordfish 16

    Corbyn-supporting Labour activists are suggesting people who want to vote in the Leadership contest join affiliated Unions or the Fabian Society. Much cheaper.

  16. Ad 17

    I think of Aussie Labor’s narrow loss, Spain’s left that can’t unify, Canada’s version that pantsed itself recently, The French version sliding sideways, NZ Labour just now getting a little juice back, and now the UK’s hot mess … and I am just depressed thinking too hard. None of their reasons are the same, none have the same cure. But the results are just Winter. Discontent. Etc.

    • ropata 17.1

      makes you wonder what else is going on, dirty tricks are the RW stock in trade

      1. screw/buy the media narrative with “Dirty Politics” style lies, fire disobedient journos
      2. subvert the vote counting process by convenient ‘errors’ (see: Bush v Gore)
      3. sabotage the opposition with agents of chaos
      4. crush mass movements with militarised police and initimidation of leaders

      i could supply links but it’s fairly obvious really

      • Ad 17.1.1

        Lovely to think it was someone else’s fault.
        It is primarily not.

        And even if the left are supposed to play against the stacked deck,
        and only supposed to win just a few times,
        and only do something not everything,

        it’s still Winter.

        • Colonial Viper 17.1.1.1

          You don’t believe that the caucus conspired and planned a deliberate coup against Corbyn with the help of friendly media?

          Really, Ad, it’s so bleeding obvious and you’re not that naive.

  17. ropata 18

    There was a good interview on Radio NZ this morning, the English correspondent suggested that UK Labour is heading for another split. The PLP will not give up their seats willingly, they are more likely to form another party (or they will make the Corbyn faction do so). And just like the LibDems before them they will dwindle into well-deserved obscurity & irrelevance.

    NZ Labour has been through this at least twice that I can think of

  18. Whateva next? 19

    What about “True Labour” for Corbyn, and the other lot can change from New Labour to “Blue Labour”

  19. Colonial Viper 20

    I wonder if anyone else can see that UK Labour ain’t fit for purpose. All it is now is a political vehicle for entitled middle class careerists.

    • ropata 20.1

      This has just been sent out by Labour First. These people want to destroy the Labour Party. They need to be stopped pic.twitter.com/R7OSm4fKtZ— Wirral Momentum (@WirralMomentum) July 12, 2016

      from the PLP email:
      “None of this will be changed if Corbyn is re-elected, however wide the margin. MPs are not going to go crawling back to him saying they made a mistake. They will challenge him again and again as his failings and the un-tenability of his position become more and more apparent, until eventually he is defeated.

      the shameless blairites will go to any lengths to get rid of democracy

  20. john 21

    Is this the start of “New Labour” in the UK?
    Where Corbyn is the only parliamentary member of the Labour party and the rest form “New Labour”??
    He needs to remember…that he still has to work with the other ELECTED MP’s. Elected by the people of their electorates.
    Maybe mass by elections is the way to go. It would bankrupt the Labour party and their corrupt union affiliates that want to run the Labour party like their own personal puppet show.

    • swordfish 21.1

      “He needs to remember…that he still has to work with the other ELECTED MP’s. Elected by the people of their electorates.”

      Elected because they stood for Labour.

      Do you really imagine they would’ve had more than a snowball’s chance in hell if they’d stood purely on their own merits as Independents ?

      • Colonial Viper 21.1.1

        Basically too many of these MP dickheads have used UK Labour as their own personal political vehicle to win their well paid place in the establishment.

        Many parallels to the NZ situation.

      • john 21.1.2

        Not all of them because of Labour, just like here, sometimes in spite of.

        • john 21.1.2.1

          So 90% of the MP’s selected to run and win seats for Labour are “dickheads” and Corbyn is the ONLY one that sees clearly. REALLY????
          Says very little for the intellect of the Labour party choosing them. Or are you just upset that you disagree with them, from all the way over here in NZ.

          • Colonial Viper 21.1.2.1.1

            Now these dickheads – and I use that term for both the male and female backstabbing blairite MPs – have identified themselves, they can be deselected at the electorate level by the general membership. Fuck’m.

      • john 21.1.3

        Couple of points:
        Are you saying LABOUR = CORBYN and vice versa? Leaving no room for the rest of the MP’s.
        or are you saying that Labour MP’s in the UK and perhaps elsewhere are absolutely useless and can’t think for themselves and it’s not the JOB of running the country they should be doing but only focusing on what the Labour party head office is telling them to……democracy…..really?

    • Jenny 21.2

      “He needs to remember…that he still has to work with the other ELECTED MP’s. Elected by the people of their electorates.”
      john

      This is the exact same reason used by the Right of the Labour Party caucus to get rid of David Cunliffe. And how they got him to resign, with out going to the Labour membership to be decided as it should have.

      • Draco T Bastard 21.2.1

        Ah, but why did the Labour membership keep the ABCs rather than replacing them for the last election?
        Did they actually have a choice in it?

    • Draco T Bastard 21.3

      He needs to remember…that he still has to work with the other ELECTED MP’s.

      The other MPs need to remember that they’re there to represent the Labour membership and they’re simply not doing that. Hopefully the membership recall that and remove the scum suckers.

      • john 21.3.1

        NO, they are representing the VOTERS….all of the voters of their electorate…and here’s the hard part…they are also supposed to represent the voters who DIDN’T vote for them too.

        • Draco T Bastard 21.3.1.1

          Not within the Labour Party itself which is where the leadership conflict is taking place.

          • john 21.3.1.1.1

            Exactly…and the reason labour may never see power again in the UK.
            They view this as being all about them (the Labour Party).
            The voters are watching and seeing that the Labour Party only cares about itself, it’s theories and institutions. NOT the people or the country and their worries and needs.
            Which is the purview of a govt….So Conservatives in power by default, as they are the only ones talking about the country, economy etc as a job to do and Labour as a job to have……BIG difference.

            • Draco T Bastard 21.3.1.1.1.1

              What a load of bollocks.

              The voters are watching and seeing that the Labour Party only cares about itself, it’s theories and institutions.

              Wrong.
              Yes, the voters are watching – that’s why so many thousands of them are presently joining the Labour Party. They’re doing so because they understand that the UKLabour party is there to look after the country.

              So Conservatives in power by default, as they are the only ones talking about the country, economy etc as a job to do and Labour as a job to have……BIG difference.

              And that’s inventing BULLSHIT to try and make out that the conservatives have a greater moral compass when they don’t. It’s the conservatives, in both parties, that have been screwing over the country to enrich a few. Which is why thousands of people are presently joining UKLabour and not the Tories.

  21. Sanctuary 22

    next week the Tories will promote a vote on Trident. Corbyn had been indicating he would offer a free vote as a compromise.

    Personally, I would now turn the machinery of government against the Blairite plotters and whip the vote. That would force the hand of the Blairites, if they defied the whip – as they must – then they’ll stand exposed as voting with the Tories. Again.

    • Anne 22.1

      … I would now turn the machinery of government against the Blairite plotters and whip the vote. That would force the hand of the Blairites, if they defied the whip – as they must – then they’ll stand exposed as voting with the Tories. Again.

      Strewth yes. That is exactly what Corbyn should do. Play the same dirty game back at them and see how they like it. I know it’s been said a thousand times on this site in recent weeks but hell… what a bunch of venomous, self-serving, entitled bastards and bitches are these Blairites. At least the Tories don’t really pretend to be anything else.

      • RedLogix 22.1.1

        I know it’s been said a thousand times on this site in recent weeks but hell… what a bunch of venomous, self-serving, entitled bastards and bitches are these Blairites. At least the Tories don’t really pretend to be anything else.

        This this and this. I was going to type out something similar myself, but nothing tops this.

        I’d hope that over the years we’ve conversed you’d know me as a man forgiving of other people’s mistakes. Except when they are pretending they are making them for my own good.

      • Wayne 22.1.2

        Anne,

        It would be a bit rich for Corbyn to do that. He is the MP who defied the Labour whip more than any other, so he has no real moral mandate to use that strategy.

        Realistically this whole shambles in Labour will result in two parties, one hard left, one centre left. The one that will prosper with voters will be the one that is seen by voters (as opposed to activists) to best represent left interests in British politics.

        This will likely take a couple of years to play out, leaving the Conservatives a good opportunity to bed themselves in as the natural party of government, at least over the next decade.

        I am sure Conservatives strategists, and Theresa May are relishing the opportunity that has been presented. Already her speeches indicate that she will reach across the middle in a much more effective way than Cameron was able to do. His Etonian background, and his personal style made it a bit hard for him to play the role of the “man of the people.” In contrast Theresa May’s background and her personal style is tailor made for her to do so.

        • dukeofurl 22.1.2.1

          Sir Lynton Crosby couldnt have said it better…. who was that great British statesman who said ..optics my friend its all optics

        • Anne 22.1.2.2

          …this whole shambles in Labour will result in two parties, one hard left, one center left.

          Oh eff-off with your hard left crap Wayne. All Jeremy Corbyn is advocating is exactly the same as what successive British, NZ and Australian governments were implementing until along came some fanciful neo liberal political theory which has created a disastrous global scenario and has put the well-being of the planet in fiscal and environmental jeopardy.

          It’s been a monumental failure from the start and the sooner the world returns to a socially and economically acceptable form of egalitarian governance the better. This is essentially what Jeremy Corbyn, Bernie Sanders and other are advocating and they are to be applauded for having the guts to stand up and say so.

        • reason 22.1.2.3

          Wayne Mapp is quite cheeky to keep posting here ……………

          I say that as he is a corrupt racist former national party minister ….. and a present day carpetbagger who seems to self nominate himself for crony appointments that judith collins and other bent nats dish out …..

          http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/search?q=wayne+mapp%2Bcrony

          Wayne is also a warmonger who is quite prepared to participate in illegal wars where innocent children get burnt, maimed and killed …………. for the sake of “trade deals”

          Wayne is a troll here at the standard but unlike most trolls we know a bit more about him …………

          “So who is PACDAC? The National government hasn’t announced any appointments (in fact, the last publicly announced appointments were in 2007), but the 2015 PADET annual report lists their membership as “Robert Ayson, Natasha Barnes, Nicholas Davidson, Hon. Wayne Mapp, Ross Miller, Paul Sinclair, Maui Solomon and Angela Woodward”.

          Wayne Mapp of course is a former National MP and crony; as National Party defence spokesperson he advocated for New Zealand involvement in the Iraq war (even if it meant ignoring international law), and as Defence Minister he advocated against outlawing the international crime of aggression. Since leaving government, he has continued to advocate for war. With people like these on PACDEC, its no wonder it has been effectively disarmed”

          http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/2016/02/disarmed.html

    • Colonial Viper 22.2

      I have to say that offering compromise to a lair of disloyal snakes who inevitably view compromise as evidence of weakness, is an ill-advised and poorly thought out move.

  22. English Labour MPs are refusing to engage with the membership.

    “Labour has suspended all local party meetings until the high-stakes leadership contest has been completed to curb the levels of abuse faced by MPs, the Huffington Post UK can reveal.”

    http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2016/07/13/labour-suspends-local-party-meetings-after-national-executive-committe-ruling_n_10959162.html

    • Colonial Viper 23.1

      The local Labour membership need to organise MP office sit-ins, pickets and protests to force their Parliamentary Representatives (oh the irony) to listen to them.

      It should be clear to one and all now that the UK Labour Party has been hijacked by a few score well paid MP careerists who don’t care how undemocratically they look or act, as long as they get their own way.

      Labour as an international political franchise is over.

  23. swordfish 24

    Wonder if the latest Ipsos Mori will aid Corbyn ?

    Headline voting intention
    (voting intention after those not certain to vote are excluded. So an accurate gauge of those most likely to vote only)
    Tory 36%
    Labour 35%
    Lib Dem 11%
    Ukip 8%

    Overall voting intention
    (all respondents voting intentions – regardless of whether or not they’re likely to turn out to vote at the next General Election. This is an accurate gauge of how eligible British voters as a whole feel. As you can see, weighting for turnout always favours the Tories over Labour)
    Tory 33%
    Labour 38%
    Lib Dem 10%
    Ukip 8%

    Given the circumstances, this is a very good poll for Labour.

    • Colonial Viper 24.1

      By taking a strong left wing stand, Corbyn is pulling more voters towards Labour. Who wudda thunk it. It is contrary to all the right wing advice to swerve right in order to be “electable.”

      • Bill Drees 24.1.1

        There are many in NZ Labour who believe the membership is not good enough for the Parliamentary Labour Party with which we are blessed.

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    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    14 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    15 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    17 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    2 days ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
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